Occlusion Specialist and TMJ - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

dale2004 · 06-25-2004, 11:00 AM

Hi, my dentist is sending me to see an occlusion specialist and she suspects that I may have TMJ. I have symptoms such as neckache, headache, painful teeth, hyperacusis and earaches.

Have any of you been down this road before? What symptoms did you have? How did you get on and what treatment/advice were you given?

Thanks.

BLACKdragon78 · 06-25-2004, 09:54 PM

dale2004,
My symptoms include: jaw pain, throbbing headaches, teeth grinding, pressure around my eye,ear, and the back of my head, stabbing pain behind my eye, tension all over the right side of my face, swollen neck (right side), ringing in my ear, popping jaw joint, grinding on left jaw joint, blurry vision, very sensitive to noise, fatigue, muscle spasms and throbbing pain in my back all the way down to my foot. Almost all of the symptoms occur on one side. Anyhow these are just a few and as you can tell its a very complicated disorder to diagnose (makes sense since the jaw is the most complicated joint in the body). Right now I'm seeing a orofacial/TMD specialist, have two acryllic splints for the upper and lower teeth, and am taking neurontin for nerve pain.

dale2004 · 06-26-2004, 12:56 PM

Thanks for your replies. I have had severe neck pain and hyperacusis (sensitivity to noise) for years. My ENT specialist said that I have no ear infection but has given me white noise generators to help desensitise the hyperacusis. I've been wearing them for almost two years now and they have helped a lot. My worst pain at the minute seems to be my teeth. I had a really big abscess infection a few months ago and since had 4 teeth removed. However, the pain is still there with an excruciating ache right down and the left side of my lower jaw. My dentist took a look at it this morning and said she can't see anything wrong with the teeth themselves but one of the sockets may be slightly infected so she packed it and gave me antibiotics. She said it may also be a symptom of TMJ but I hope the antibiotics will solve this because I don't think this the type of pain I can learn to live with.

Do you find that dental work makes you feel worse? I started to feel a little better a few weeks ago and then I had a straightforward cleaning of my teeth by my dentist and afterwards I was in excruciating pain which hasn't really settled down. I sometimes thought I was been a bit of a hypochondriac thinking I have pain after a simple clean but the pain is real and quite severe. I have also wondered that I might have a mild form of TN as I have heard stories about people with TN having loads of their teeth extracted only to find that the pain was still there. I just can't believe this is actually happening and really don't know who to turn to.

Heidi, you mentioned not to let anybody make me a splint without imaging first. What do you mean? What is imaging?

Thanks.

dale2004 · 06-28-2004, 05:54 AM

Hello Heidi, thanks for the reply. I too hope it's just a simple infected socket. I have started taking the antibiotics on Saturday but haven't noticed any relief yet. I do know that sometimes it can take a few days to start to feel any benefit. I was speaking to my mother yesterday on the telephone and she told me that each time she has had a tooth extracted she was in pain for three to four weeks afterwards. She even went back to the hospital a few days later claiming that the surgeon must have removed the wrong teeth because the pain in the other teeth was so bad. It helped to reassure me a bit that I'm not turning into a complete nutcase.

I was also told that having a tooth pulled can sometimes irritate or bruise the nerve which would also give me the type of pain which radiates down the face. Oh I do hope it's something as simple as this.

I find it seems to be irritated by the wind, when I brush my teeth, when I eat and even when I talk. It's probably worth noting that I didn't have this kind of pain prior to the abscess except for some sensitivity.

Have you found that since you started to receive treatment for your tmj you have had any relief or improvement?

Thanks.

Katie G · 06-28-2004, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dale2004

Thanks for your replies. I have had severe neck pain and hyperacusis (sensitivity to noise) for years. My ENT specialist said that I have no ear infection but has given me white noise generators to help desensitise the hyperacusis. I've been wearing them for almost two years now and they have helped a lot. My worst pain at the minute seems to be my teeth. I had a really big abscess infection a few months ago and since had 4 teeth removed. However, the pain is still there with an excruciating ache right down and the left side of my lower jaw. My dentist took a look at it this morning and said she can't see anything wrong with the teeth themselves but one of the sockets may be slightly infected so she packed it and gave me antibiotics. She said it may also be a symptom of TMJ but I hope the antibiotics will solve this because I don't think this the type of pain I can learn to live with.

Do you find that dental work makes you feel worse? I started to feel a little better a few weeks ago and then I had a straightforward cleaning of my teeth by my dentist and afterwards I was in excruciating pain which hasn't really settled down. I sometimes thought I was been a bit of a hypochondriac thinking I have pain after a simple clean but the pain is real and quite severe. I have also wondered that I might have a mild form of TN as I have heard stories about people with TN having loads of their teeth extracted only to find that the pain was still there. I just can't believe this is actually happening and really don't know who to turn to.

Heidi, you mentioned not to let anybody make me a splint without imaging first. What do you mean? What is imaging?

Thanks.

Hi there - I hope your problems are an infection too, because I think the path of TMD is a long and very winding road. I have been diagnosed with severe TMD with both bone and joint degeneration, anterior open bite, and severe muscle tension related to all this. My pains are now down to a chronic dull ache in both jaw joints (much better than the sharp stabbing pains I was getting before splint therapy), headaches - especially tension headaches starting at the temples and radiating around the head like a band, neck pain, shoulder pain, jaw popping/clicking, limited oral opening and achy teeth & sinuses. However, I also have fibromyalgia and many of these symptoms go hand in hand with that condition.

I know what you mean about agony after a dental visit. Holding my mouth in an open position, and usually having to force beyond what I could really open created severe head pain for me for at least a day. Now based on my ortho's recommendations, I take a valium the night before and the day of a dental appointment - my ortho swears it's an excellent muscle relaxer. When I tried it this last time, I could really tell the difference - I didn't even need the bite block to keep my mouth open like I usually do.

I've been in a hard acrylic upper splint 24/7 since Oct. '03. Although my anterior open bite has opened even more, the ortho is pleased because it means the lower jaw is moving back and up into the right place (my joints were anteriorly displaced on both sides). This is all part of Phase I - Phase II will not occur until my bite/alignment are considered stable and I'm symptom-free.

Katie G